Best Non-Fiction Train Books for Train Fans

Grab a few non-fiction train books to make your train fans happy. These are the very best books we could find on trains.

I thought there would be a lot of books to choose from when I had the idea for this list but I was wrong. Well, I wasn’t exactly wrong, there were a lot of train books but it was hard to find ones that met our tough standards.

Below you will find the final eight selections. I hope you enjoy them. This list is part of our best books for boys series of articles where we focus on finding books boys will really enjoy.

Non-Fiction Train Books

1. I always enjoyed the Roger Priddy books as much as my son did! I like simple, yet engaging books for young kids and he always delivers. My Big Train Book is a large board book. There are photographs of many different types of trains, short sentences, as well as a short text phrase naming the train.

2. Trains by Gail Gibbons is perfect for getting basic information on trains. Her descriptions are always right on target and pair nicely with her clear, simple illustration style. The book covers everything from what the different trains are called, naming the cars, train personnel, passengers and signs and signals.

3. Images and descriptions of different types of trains and different types of cars abound in All Aboard Trains. The illustrations are nicely detailed. We own this book. It has always been a hit.

4. If you want to be a stickler, this book shouldn’t really be on this list. It is a fiction book with factual information included. However, though they take a few liberties by adding some story elements and anecdotes into the book there are so many facts and it is so well-done that I am adding it to our non-fiction train books list with that caveat thrown in. Steam, Smoke and Steel is told by a young boy who would like to be an train engineer like his father and his grandfather and his great grandfather and so on before him. It is worth having a look at.

5. Seymour Simon’s Book of Trains is packed with full-color pictures. Combined with fairly simplistic text (Trains can carry grain and gravel, milk and machines, cars and computers, pipes and people.) each 2-page spread includes a big picture and paragraphs describing what is in the picture. Nice.

6. Trains: A Pop-Up Railroad Book is one you need to see to appreciate. It is full of “flaps, pull-tabs, 3-D trains, and a spectacular pop-up model of a bustling railroad station” and is packed with info that your railway fans will really enjoy. His pop-up books are very nice and a great addition to a non-fiction train book collection.

7. Trains! is a level 3 step into reading book. This book has easy text with color, and black and white, pictures. They show the train that “played” the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter movies.

8. DK Smithsonian Train: The Definitive Visual History is a typical DK book. Full of information and wonderful pictures in an appealing format. This book includes a lot of details on trains from the old classics to bullet trains. It also features maps of railway routes. Perfect for enthusiasts or older boys who need extra details, but I have found plenty of very young boys really enjoy looking through these books as well.

9. We will end this list with an unusual book. Trains: A Complete History is both a book and a model kit. There are 50 easy-to-make paper train models included in this book. Plus there is interesting information about the trains, including each one’s place in history. If you get the book be sure to pick up some fast drying paper glue as well. The models need to be glued together. If you go through the book link you can see an images of one of the models. The top portion of the book with the information in it actually separates from the detachable bottom part so removing the model pieces isn’t an issue and you are left with a nice book to go with your complete models.

There you have it. The very best non-fiction train books we could find. If new ones come out, and they are winners, we will be sure to add them to the list. You can share this list on social media to save it for later by using the sharing buttons below.

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Hi! My name is Sheila and I publish BrainPowerBoy.com with my family. We share information on boys' learning, books for boys, unique toys, LEGO, and many other resources for raising boys who love to learn Learn More…

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